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SIX PICTURE-PERFECT GEORGIA GETAWAYS By Hope S. Philbrick
With your recent move to Atlanta, has it been a while since the two of you had some quality “couple time?” (pizza and binge-watching “Shameless” doesn’t count). Time to pack the kids off to Grandma’s and get away for a memorable escape. From mountains to beaches, gardens to historic buildings, Georgia is full of destinations where sparks are sure to fly.
BARNSLEY RESORT Whether you stay for one night or a week, it’s easy to ignite romance at this 3,000-acre resort in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Canoodle in front of a fire in your private cottage. Go horseback riding along scenic trails. 32 | Newcomer Magazine | newcomeratlanta.com
Play golf. Tour the history museum. Meander through 160-year-old gardens. Kayak on the lake. Savor a couples’ massage at the spa. Or enlist the help of the onsite concierge to help set the stage for romance: whether you’d like to return from a delicious dinner at the Rice House to find rose petals strewn across the bed, a picnic basket stocked with fixings for s’mores, or your claw foot tub decorated like a tiki hut. 877-773-2447, barnsleyresort.com.
BRASSTOWN VALLEY Nestled on 503 acres in the North Georgia Mountains, Brasstown Valley Resort & Spa is only a two-hour drive from Atlanta and was named one of the top 50 Romantic Weekend
Getaways in the U.S. by Redbook magazine in 2016. It offers a variety of activities, including golf, horseback riding, hiking and fishing. The Equani Spa offers body treatments, facials, massages and unique rituals indigenous to the Cherokee people, “designed to stimulate and refresh the mind, body and soul,” according to the resort’s website. The property includes 102 guest rooms and eight private cottages. Brasstown Valley offers meals at two restaurants: The Dining Room, a formal spot perfect for an intimate dinner of steak or seafood, and Brassies Grill, a casual eatery featuring sandwiches and burgers. Located above Brassies is the Fireside Lounge, a bar with a huge fireplace to keep warm. 800-201-3205 or brasstownvalley.com.
PHOTOS: (this page) Barnsley Resort; (opposite page, bottom) Courtesy of Callaway Gardens
Barnsley Resort Ruins
